The House of the Scorpion

Matteo Alacran was not Born; He was Harvested. His DNA came from El Patron, lord of a country called Opium -- a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt's first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby.

Overview

Matteo Alacran was not Born; He was Harvested. His DNA came from El Patron, lord of a country called Opium -- a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt's first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster -- except for El Patron. El Patron loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself. As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, including El Patron's power-hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the Alacran Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn't even suspect.

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Editorial Reviews

Winner of the 2002 National Book Award, Young People's LiteratureA 2003 Newbery Honor BookA 2003 Michael L. Printz Honor Book

The Barnes & Noble ReviewNewbery Honor author Nancy Farmer wows us with this riveting sci-fi thriller about a young clone struggling for acceptance in his tumultuous, sheltered world.

Matt's last name is Alacrán, which means that he belongs to a powerful family that controls the drug Farms between the U.S. and the former Mexico. But Matt's different; he's a clone in a world filled with dangers for his kind. His only protection from the brutal surroundings are El Patron, the elderly patriarch/drug lord kingpin from which he was made, his caretaker Celia, and a bodyguard who has been assigned to him. Things fall apart when Matt learns the real reason for his creation and he makes a harrowing escape to a promising -- yet frighteningly insecure -- world.

With all the makings of a modern classic, The House of the Scorpion is both shocking and intense, particularly because it looks toward an all-too-possible future. Matt is a courageous, sympathetic character, but his strong-willed fits of anger, which mirror El Patron's, leave a bittersweet taste amid his good intentions. Another impressive book from Farmer, this novel is true science fiction genius. Matt Warner

Publishers Weekly

In our Best Books citation, PW wrote, "In this eerily realistic depiction of society 100 years hence, the wealthy class harvests the organs of clones to prolong their lives. Farmer explores vital and soul-searching questions about what it means to be human." Ages 11-up. (May) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus

An inspiring tale of friendship, survivial, hope, and transcendence

KLIATT

In a future world where an evil empire called Opium is tucked in between the U.S. and Aztlán (formerly Mexico), a young clone named Matt comes of age. His foot is tattooed "Property of the Alacrán Estate"; he is the clone of El Patrón, the cruel 142-year-old ruler of Opium, a drug kingdom farmed by "eejits," brain-dead clones. Matt has not has his brain deadened; he is a favorite of El Patrón, reminding him of his lost youth, though the man's nasty, conspiring family hates Matt, considering him "livestock." Matt's other champions are a cook and a bodyguard, who conspire to save him from a fate of being harvested for organs for El Patrón. A girl named María comes to love Matt, too, and when El Patrón dies and the remaining family try to kill Matt, all his friends work to help him escape from the Alacrán estate. Matt runs off to Aztlán but is captured and taken to an awful orphanage, which is more of a Nazi-style work camp. There he makes friends, helps incite a rebellion, and is thrown into a bone pit and almost dies. He escapes, finds María, and returns at last to his inheritance, the Alacrán estate, with plans to undo the evil of El Patrón. This is a long but engrossing SF adventure by the Newbery Honor-winning author of A Girl Named Disaster, The Ear, the Eye and the Arm, and other books for young readers. Farmer grew up in Yuma, Arizona and evokes the landscape of this Mexican border area beautifully. Matt is an appealing hero, despised by many for being a clone but noble and brave in the face of the many hardships he encounters. He learns to value himself, ignoring the opinion of others, and comes to understand that he has the power to make change for good. This will appeal toadventure story lovers as well as SF fans. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students.  Paula Rohrlick; KLIATT

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-Nancy Farmer's 2002 National Book Award winner and Newbery Honor book (Atheneum, 2002) takes listeners to a futuristic, but familiar, Central American landscape where a powerful drug lord includes his own clones among his possessions. Narrator Robert Ramirez does a solid job with a large cast of characters and the many Spanish words and phrases that heighten the story's authenticity. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Matt Alacrán has spent his youth secreted away in a secluded hut, his only knowledge of the world provided by his caregiver Celia and his view out the window on the white ocean of poppies growing all around. Matt is a clone, an outcast hated and feared as a beast by human society. When he uses an iron cooking pot to smash his window and goes out into the world, Matt sets into motion a fantastic adventure in a land called Opium, a strip of land between the US and a place once called Mexico. Opium is ruled by El Patr-n, a 142-year-old drug lord, inhabited by "eejits"-docile farm workers controlled by brain implants-and overseen by an army of bodyguards. Farmer's tale is a wild, futuristic coming-of-age story with a science-fiction twist: How do you find out who you are when what you are is a clone-a photograph-of a human being. How have you come to exist, and for what purpose? Can you ever expect to be more than what you were designed to be? As demonstrated in The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm (1994), Farmer has a talent for creating exciting tales in beautifully realized, unusual worlds. With undertones of vampires, Frankenstein, dragons' hoards, and killing fields, Matt's story turns out to be an inspiring tale of friendship, survival, hope, and transcendence. A must-read for SF fans.

Booklist

* “This is a powerful, ultimately hopeful story that builds on today's sociopolitical, ethical, and scientific issues and prognosticates a compelling picture of what the future could bring. All of these serious issues are held together by a remarkable coming-of-age story.”

USA Today

“Mind-expanding fiction.”

Chicago Tribune

“Strong, rough, exciting reading.”

The Boston Globe

“A story rich in twists and tangles, heroes and heroines, villages and dupes, and often dazzlingly beautiful descriptive prose.”

starred review Booklist

* “This is a powerful, ultimately hopeful story that builds on today's sociopolitical, ethical, and scientific issues and prognosticates a compelling picture of what the future could bring. All of these serious issues are held together by a remarkable coming-of-age story.”

* “This is a powerful, ultimately hopeful story that builds on today's sociopolitical, ethical, and scientific issues and prognosticates a compelling picture of what the future could bring. All of these serious issues are held together by a remarkable coming-of-age story.”

“Mind-expanding fiction.”

“Strong, rough, exciting reading.”

“A story rich in twists and tangles, heroes and heroines, villages and dupes, and often dazzlingly beautiful descriptive prose.”

Read an Excerpt

Celia left in the morning, and Matt spent the entire day waiting for the children. He had given up hope when, just before sunset, he heard voices approaching through the poppy fields.

He planted himself in front of the window and waited.

"There he is! See, María, I told you I wasn't lying," cried Emilia. Her hand rested on the shoulder of a much smaller girl. "He won't talk to us, but you're about his age. Maybe he won't be afraid of you." Emilia pushed the girl ahead of her and fell back to wait with Steven.

María wasn't at all shy about coming up to the window. "Hey, boy!" she yelled, rapping the glass with her fist. "What's your name? Do you want to play?"

With one blow, she stole Matt's carefully prepared speech. He stared at her, unable to think of another opening.

"Well, is it yes or no?" María turned toward the others. "Make him unlock the door."

"That's up to him," said Steven.

Matt wanted to say he didn't have the key, but he was unable to get the words out.

"At least he isn't hiding today," remarked Emilia.

"If you can't unlock the door, open the window," María said.

Matt tried, knowing it wouldn't work. Celia had nailed the window shut. He threw up his hands.

Matt thought desperately. He needed something to interest them. He held up his finger, as Celia did when she wanted him to wait. He nodded his head to show that he agreed with María's demand and was about to do something.

"What does that mean?" said Emilia.

"Beats me. Maybe he's a mute and can't talk," Steven guessed.

Matt raced to his bedroom. He ripped the picture of the man with the bullfrog sandwich from the wall. It made Celia laugh. Maybe it would make these children laugh. He ran back and pressed the newspaper against the window. The three children came close to study it.

"I'm not a dum-dum! It's mean and nasty to eat bullfrogs! I don't think it's funny at all."

"Save me from eejits," said Steven, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not an eejit, either!"

"Oh, lighten up, María," Emilia said.

"You brought me out here to see a boy, and it was miles and miles across the fields, and I'm tired and the boy won't talk. I hate you!"

Matt stared at the scene with consternation. That wasn't the result he wanted at all. María was crying, Emilia looked angry, and Steven had turned his back on both of them. Matt rapped on the window. When María looked up, he waved the picture and then wadded it into a ball. He threw it with all his force across the room.

"See, he agrees with me," cried María through her tears.

"This is getting weirder by the minute," said Steven. "I knew we shouldn't have brought the eejit."

"I thought the boy would talk to a kid his own size," Emilia said. "Come on, María. We have to get back before dark."

"I'm not walking anywhere!" The little girl flopped down on the ground.

"Well, I won't carry you, fatso."

"Just leave her," said Steven. He started walking off, and after a moment Emilia followed him.

Matt was appalled. If the big kids went away, María would be all alone. It was going to be dark soon, and Celia wouldn't return for hours. María would be alone with nothing but the empty poppy fields and the...

The chupacabras, who came out after dark and sucked your juices and left you to dry like an old cantaloupe skin!

Suddenly Matt knew what he had to do. María had walked a few steps away from the window before sitting down again. She was shouting insults at the vanished Steven and Emilia. Matt grabbed the big iron cooking pot Celia used to make menudo and swung it before he could worry much about her reaction. She would be furious! But he was saving María's life. He smashed out the glass in the window. It fell in a tinkling, jangling mass to the ground. María jumped to her feet. Steven and Emilia rose up instantly from the poppy field, where they'd been hiding.

"Holy frijoles!" said Steven. All three stood openmouthed, staring at the empty hole where the window had been.

"My name is Matt. I live here. Do you want to play?" said Matt because he couldn't think of another thing to say.

"He can talk," said Emilia after the first shock had died away.

"Is that how you usually open a window, kid?" Steven said. "Stay back, María. There's glass all over." He stepped carefully to the opening and knocked out the remaining shards with a stick. Then he leaned inside to look around. Matt had to hold on to himself to keep from bolting to the other room. "This is creepy! The window's nailed shut. What are you, some kind of prisoner?"

"I live here," Matt said.

"You told us that already."

"Do you want to play?"

"Maybe he's like a parrot and only knows a few words," suggested Emilia.

"I want to play," said María. Matt looked at her with approval. The girl was struggling in Emilia's arms, obviously trying to get to him. Steven shook his head and moved away. He looked like he was really going to leave this time.

Matt came to a decision. It was frightening, but he'd never had an opportunity like this before and he might never have

it again. He shoved a chair to the opening, scrambled up, and jumped.

"No!" shouted Steven, running forward to catch him. He was too late.

A terrible pain lanced through Matt's feet. He fell forward, and his hands and knees landed on the shards of glass.

"Well, you've lost blood -- but not too much," Steven added as Matt began to tremble again.

"It sure looks like a lot," said María.

"Shut up, eejit."

The older children rose, carrying Matt between them. María followed, complaining loudly about the distance and at being called an eejit.

A kind of heavy sleepiness fell over Matt as he was swayed along. The pain had died down, and Steven said he hadn't lost too much blood. He was too dazed to worry about what Celia would say when she saw the broken window.

They reached the edge of the poppy fields as the last streaks of sunlight slid behind the hills. The dirt path gave way to a wide lawn. It was a shimmering green, growing deeper with the blue light of evening. Matt had never seen so much green in his life.

It's a meadow, he thought, drowsily. And it smells like rain.

They started up a flight of wide, marble steps that shone softly in the darkening air. On either side were orange trees, and all at once lamps went on among the leaves. Lights outlined the white walls of a vast house above, with pillars and statues and doorways going who knew where. In the center of an arch was the carved outline of a scorpion.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!" came a flurry of women's voices as they swept down the stairs to lift Matt from Steven's and Emilia's arms.

"Who is he?" asked the maids. They were wearing black dresses with white aprons and starched, white caps. One of them, a severe-looking female with deep creases down either side of her mouth, carried Matt as the others went ahead to open doors.

"I found him in a house in the poppy fields," replied Steven.

"That's Celia's place," a maid said. "She's too stuck-up to live with the rest of us."

"If she's hiding a child, I'm not surprised. Who's your father, kid?" said the woman who was carrying Matt. Her apron smelled like sunlight, the way Celia's did when it came straight from the clothesline. Matt stared at a pin fastened to the woman's collar, a silver scorpion with its tail curved up. Beneath the scorpion was a name tag that said ROSA. Matt didn't feel well enough to talk, and what did it matter who his father was, anyhow? He didn't know the answer, either.

"He doesn't talk much," said Emilia.

"Where's the doctor?" Steven said.

"We'll have to wait. He's treating your grandfather. At least we can clean the kid up," said Rosa.

The maids opened a door to reveal the most beautiful room Matt had ever seen. It had carved wooden beams on the ceiling and wallpaper decorated with hundreds of birds. To Matt's reeling eyes, they seemed to be moving. He saw a couch upholstered with flowers that shaded from lavender to rose like the feathers on a dove's wings. It was to this couch that Rosa was carrying him.

"I'm too dirty," Matt murmured. He had been yelled at before for climbing on Celia's bed with muddy feet.

"You can say that again," snapped Rosa. The other women opened a crisp, white sheet and laid it over the wonderful couch before Matt was laid down. He thought he could get into just as much trouble for getting blood on that sheet.

Rosa fetched a pair of tweezers and began pulling out fragments of glass from his hands and feet. "Ay!" she murmured as she dropped the bits into a cup. "You're brave not to cry."

But Matt didn't feel brave at all. He didn't feel anything. His body seemed far away, and he watched Rosa as though she were an image on a TV screen.

"He sure screamed earlier," observed María. She was dancing around, trying to see everything that happened.

"Don't act so superior. You yell your head off if you get an itty-bitty splinter in your finger," Emilia said.

"Do not!"

"Do so!"

"I hate you!"

"Ask me if I care," said Emilia. Both she and Steven watched in fascination as blood began to well out of Matt's cuts again. "I'm going to be a doctor when I grow up," announced Emilia. "This is very good experience for me."

The other maids had brought a bucket of water and towels, but they didn't attempt to clean Matt up until Rosa gave them permission.

"Be careful. The right foot is badly cut," said Rosa.

The air hummed in Matt's ears. He felt the warm water and suddenly the pain returned. It stabbed from his foot all the way to the top of his head. He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. His throat had closed with shock.

"Oh, God! There must be glass left inside," cried Rosa. She grabbed Matt's shoulders and ordered him not to be afraid. She seemed almost angry.

The fogginess that had surrounded Matt had vanished. His feet, his hands, his knees throbbed with more pain than he had known existed.

"I told you he was crying earlier," said María.

"Be quiet!" said Emilia.

"Look! There's writing on his foot," the little girl cried. She tried to get close, but Emilia thrust her back.

"I'm the one who's going to be a doctor. Rats! I can't read it. There's too much blood." She snatched a washcloth and wiped Matt's foot.

The pain wasn't as bad this time, but he couldn't help moaning.

"You're hurting him, you bully!" shrieked María.

"Wait! I can just make it out...'Property of' -- the writing is so tiny! -- 'Property of the Alacrán Estate.'"

"'Property of the Alacrán Estate'? That's us. It doesn't make any sense," said Steven.

What People are Saying About This

* “This is a powerful, ultimately hopeful story that builds on today's sociopolitical, ethical, and scientific issues and prognosticates a compelling picture of what the future could bring. All of these serious issues are held together by a remarkable coming-of-age story.” Booklist, starred review

“Mind-expanding fiction.”—USA Today

Meet the Author

Nancy Farmer has written three Newbery Honor books: The Ear, the Eye and the Arm; A Girl Named Disaster; and The House of the Scorpion, which also won the National Book Award and the Printz Honor. Other books include The Lord of Opium, The Sea of Trolls, The Land of the Silver Apples, The Islands of the Blessed, Do You Know Me, The Warm Place, and three picture books for young children. She grew up on the Arizona-Mexico border and now lives with her family in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

The House of the Scorpion 4.5 out of 5based on
0 ratings.
701 reviews.

alvaro-lms

More than 1 year ago

I am a 14 year old Peruvian who now comprehends the meaning of endurance. Matteo Alacr&#225;n, a clone, must embrace death, torture, hatred and treachery to prove he's not a brainless clone like others. This book takes you in Matteo or Matt's life starting when he's a young boy; you'll see the pain he undergoes and a bit of romance. The scenery takes place in future Mexico called Aztl&#225;n governed by El Patr&#243;n, a drug lord. I highly recommend this book to sci-fi lovers because this book is a real page turner.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

This a great book! It has action and adventure, little romance, and it'll keep you guessing. Nancy Farmer did it again. Oh, and there might be sequel, so look oit for that!

Guest

More than 1 year ago

The House of the Scorpion has almost NOTHING TO DO WITH SCORPIANS!!! This book was simply amazing. A very suck-into kind of book. It's full of suspensful moments. The tables turn every-so-often but it was very clear. I would reccomend it to everyone.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer was definitely one of the best books I have ever read. This book will lure in even the most inactive of readers. All of the characters engross you with their stories and tug at your emotions, keeping you turning pages to find out what happens to them. For those who visualize when they read, there are many descriptive passages that pull you right in the settings. The entire novel is filled with symbolism and themes that pull at the heart strings. With an extremely unexpected ending, House of the Scorpion is sure to have something for every reader.

michelle keuten

More than 1 year ago

it is great. it is not for only young people either. for all ages.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

The house of the scorpion by Nancy Farmer is the best book ever. It is filled of action and emotion which makes it impossible to put down. The house of the scorpion has lots of action but is not so fast passed that you cannot keep up with it. It also has some slow moving sad parts that make a difference so it does not get boring. If you have a fast moving action book that all it has is action than it will not be that go because there is nothing to look forward to. The house of the scorpion also is a little bit of a mystery. I love mysteries so that's a big plus. For people who do not like mysteries it is not a problem because it is just a side plot and does not take up much of the book. A character I really like is Tam Lin. He is a big tough guy but he is really understanding and can be really nice. SJ

tatortot-MCReading

More than 1 year ago

The book I'm about to talk about is a three time honor award winner by Nancy Farmer. That's right I'm talking about "The House of the Scorpion". This book is one of the best books I have ever read (I'm not just saying that either). Matt (the main character of the book; also the clone) has to go through horrible torture throughout the book. He goes from hidden to hated to loved and back to hated. Celia (Matt's best friend whom he calls his mom) is the only person that cares at all about Matt. That is until he meets Maria. Maria (Matt's girlfriend) is a young, beautiful girl, without a care in the world until she meets Matt and she falls in "love" with him. Then there's Tam-Lin (Matt's "body guard") who is one of Matt's best friends. Last, but not least, El Patr&#242;n (the ruler of the opium empire) he is also known as the "villain" of the book. El Patr&#242;n is the real Matteo alacr&#224;n.
He "lent" Matt to Celia who raised him up for 7 years. Then some kids discover him and they take him to their house after he jumps on some glass and cuts up his feet. They discover that Matt is a clone and then everyone starts mistreating him except Celia and Maria. This is where the roller coaster starts all aboard. They lock Matt up in a room and they torture him for about 4 months. Then El Patr&#242;n finds him and fires the slave that was mistreating him and torturing him, and makes her into an ejite (an ejite is someone or something that has a chip implanted in their brain so they do what they're told and only when they're told to do it). Matt, from then on, is treated like a prince.
Matt gets anything he wants when he wants it. Everyone is forced to be nice to him (they're still not nice unless El Patr&#242;n is around) and he gets his own personal body guard. Matt discovers that El Patr&#242;n only made him to sacrifice him for his organs. Then Matt runs away and makes it to the next country over. El Patr&#242;n dies because he doesn't have the organs that he needs. Matt gets caught by the boarder guard and gets put in an orphanage. They make him eat food that's usually fed to animals. They make him work all day. If he disobeys, they punish him by beating him until he bleeds; sometimes putting him in the nurse's office. He escapes and makes it to a hospital ran by Maria's mom and he gets fed right until he's healed up. He then finds Maria once again. Maria and her mom ask Matt for a favor that risks his life. He does it and makes it past the life risking part. He discovers that Tam-Lin died. Then he becomes the ruler of the opium and shuts down/destroys the opium empire, just like Maria's mom asked.
If you want to read the full story, I suggest reading the book. There is a lot more that I haven't told you about. This is one of the best books I have ever read in my enire life. If you wait another day to read this book you will regret it for a long time. Once you read this book you will thank yourself for the rest of your life!

Bob_the_Builder30

More than 1 year ago

Have you ever dreamt of what the future may be like? You may picture it as a glorious world full of wonderful new inventions that make life easier to cope with. Or you may think of the future as being a place completely inhospitable to all life forms. In this book, the author's idea of the future is somewhere between the two. At the beginning, Matt (the main character) is born (or rather "harvested", as the book puts it). He lives in a shack in the middle of a poppy field on a farm that produces opium, a major drug made out of poppies. This farm is in a small country called Opium that is in between Mexico and the United States. He lives in this shack until he winds up at "The Big House," the mansion that is located on the plantation. He is rejected by all people there, and it is then that he realizes that he is not human. He goes on to meet a girl named Maria, a bodyguard named Tam-Lin, and a drug-lord named El Patron. While living in the Big House, he learns that he is the clone of El Patron. He lives the good life until El Patron starts to get sick, and needs a new heart. Matt is then called upon to be the donor for the new heart. Matt has to escape the Big House. He escapes the Big House and Opium, but is then enslaved by people in a city called Atzlan, and is forced to work for "the greater good of the people." Can Matt escape this new enslavement?
There are several characters in this story. Matt is the main protagonist. He is an ever changing character, as he gets older. As a young boy living in the shack in the poppy field, he is lonely, and wants friends to play with. Once he starts living in the Big House, he gets into trouble a lot. He meets several friends, one of them a girl named Maria, who visits the Big House on certain occasions. She is Matt's best friend, but later in the story, she becomes a little more than just a friend. She is easily upset by many things, and is very gullible. Most of all, though, she wants to protect Matt from El Patron. El Patron is a drug lord who controls all of Opium, and has lived over seven lifetimes. He is also the main antagonist of the story. He creates Matt as a clone of himself. At first, Matt thinks that El Patron created him just because he was a kind old man, but later, he learns that El Patron's reason is far more sinister than he could ever imagine. El Patron has two bodyguards: Daft Donald, and Tam-Lin. Matt is given Tam-Lin as his bodyguard. Tam-Lin is a Scottish man who was picked up by El Patron in Scotland while he and Daft Donald were "breaking heads outside a soccer field." El Patron realized they were tough, so he hired them. Tam-Lin is a kind, good-natured man, but he has a secret past, one that Matt is determined to find out.
This book is a wonderfully exciting and original glimpse into the future. It never gets dull, and you won't want to put it down until you've finished it. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the future, and of course, clones. But this book isn't all about the future. There are many parts of the book that include action, drama, and even a bit of romance. I personally found this book very rewarding to read. Nancy Farmer has done a wonderful job of blending excitement, sadness, and mystery into one single piece of literature. So, just to summarize, this is a wonderful book for anyone who is interested in great literature, and who wants to find a book that will make them want to keep reading.

Guest

More than 1 year ago

The house of the Scorpions was awesome! It was a book about full of mystery surprises and EXCITEMENT. Matt the clone of El Patron was born out of a cow. They story was located in the land of opium. Matt was treated bad because he was a clone, he had few friends but his friends were Tam Lin, Maria, Celia and of course of El patron. When it came time for Matt to be killed he ran and his in the mountains. El patron was 147 years old he lived off of different body parts from clones except for this time. He died of liver failure. We read this book over summer, at first I did not want to read this book because it was long and looked boring. But you know what they say don¿t judge a book by its cover and boy were they RIGHT! After one chapter I was hooked. This book is great full of so many challenged for each main character. In the end, we thought this book was SUPER, DUPER, UBER!!!!

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Reccommend for the hunger games crowd

Guest

More than 1 year ago

The House of the Scorpion, was able to move me in ways I never thought a book could. It took control over my life, and I could never find myself capable to put it down. It forces the reader to think, feel, and sympathize with the book¿s protagonist. This is a book that will change a child from a non-reader to a reader. The reader follows the life of young Matt Alacran, an orphan who lives with his foster mother, Celia. Although Matt is very nice, there is something wrong with him. Something unlike normal children. Matt is a clone. A genetic copy of the 142-year-old ¿El Patron¿. Throughout the book Matt meets many people, who treat him as an animal and as a mistake. In Matt¿s life he knows only three people who show him compassion: Celia, Tam Lin, Maria. Celia is Matt¿s foster mother who only wants the best for him, but is sometimes too defensive. Matt¿s body guard, Tam Lin, appears brutal and violent on the outside, but on the inside he is compassionate and understanding. And Maria, Matt¿s first crush. Although sometimes scornful, she builds a friendship with Matt and unlike the other children, she treats Matt like a person, not an animal. The only negative in the book was that it continued to get darker and more disturbing as the story progressed. And the author described the book so in depth, you would literally walk away from the book feeling upset and discouraged. In a way, the book was so good, it almost made the reader feel bad This book proves that Nancy Farmer is truly a Sci-Fi genius. I strongly recommend this book to all readers, both boys and girls. I have never read anything that can control a reader like this novel. The House of the Scorpion, will blow you away.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

I started out reading this book because I had to for summer school; I wouldn't have chosen this book because I have a certain taste for books. Once I started this book I couldn't stop. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. It speaks of friendship in a sea of hatred and danger. I would read this book over and over again if I could. It is worth it.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

The House of the Scorpion has almost NOTHING TO DO WITH SCORPIANS!!! This book was simply amazing. A very suck-into kind of book. It's full of suspensful moments. The tables turn every-so-often but it was very clear. I would reccomend it to everyone.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

The house of the scorpion is a lovely story about a clone. A clone by the name of Matteo Alacran. His DNA came from a strong leader called EL Patron. Matt has a difficult time getting the fact that he is a clone. Also everyone for some reason hates clones. so Matt has to go through alot to survive and act like a human boy. i highly reccomend it to people who like suprises and twist endings.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Very good book... I do Reccomend :)

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

I read this book already but ima get it again ! Very qood

FedoraMike

More than 1 year ago

This book is an award winner for a reason. Chillingly in depth and captivating, this story of a young clone with thrill any fiction reader of any age. Someone else gave this book a review saying it's bloody and gory, they're exaggerating the details quite a bit. The blood and violence in this book is very mild, the only intensity in the book are the situations young Matteo encounters and handle's. Please note that this book is sold in the "Young Readers" section so you should know for a fact that any and all violence is mild or it would otherwise be sold in a more adult category. However, I do recommend this book for Teens as well as Adults, it is just THAT well written! Enjoy!

sebastian velasquez

More than 1 year ago

this is an amazing book! i was enticed by how good this book was.it had great climax andut rells a great story Bout a young boy trying to find out who he is!,!

Guest

More than 1 year ago

In the House of the Scorpion the main character has a lot of trouble figuring out who he really is and has to go though a lot of different obstacles. He finds out who is on his side and how evil people can really be, he runs into action, drama and a big adventure to find the only person who loves him for him. I though that this book had its ups and downs and was very interesting at the end!

Guest

More than 1 year ago

Readers beware: You will not be able to put this book down once you start it! Nancy Farmer¿s award winning novel The House of the Scorpion is an inspiring tale of friendship, survival, and hope. It is an excellent read, you will be up all night running through the pages. We are sucked into the book right from page one where the main character, Matt, is in a petri dish. We see him grow from a boy to a teenager, but most consider him as a monster - except for El Patron, the lord of Opium. El Patron loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself. The House of the Scorpion is a really powerful and hopeful story that guesses a pretty good picture of what the future could bring. Even if you are not a fantasy/science-fiction fan I think you will love this book. Farmer¿s great writing makes Matt so real. She lets the reader go totally inside Matt¿s life we feel his joy, his pain, his fears, his confusion, his longings. He's the kid in all of us trying to do his best and find his place in a world that often makes no sense. This novel is probably best for ages of 11 and up. You should be warned that it is a depressing and sad story and may not appeal to you if you are `weak-hearted`. Overall it was a great read, The House of the Scorpion has it all: science fiction based on good science, adventure, friendship, suspense, intrigue, mystery, murder and a hint of romance. Don¿t miss it!

Guest

More than 1 year ago

This book was really good! It's science fiction, and it's incredibly deep. You find yourself wondering about some of the things in this book, and how creepy it would be if the world were like it...Like all books it had its rough spots (ending, meoderately slow start) but the plot really packed a lot (a new suprise almost every page flip). I would reccomend this book in a heartbeat!!!

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

I finished the whole book in two days & I was so impressed with the ending and it ma me cry at points. I loved it so much.